In fact, he plays them on the big screen a lot. And he slipped back into that grisly persona again, reprising his role as alpha dad Dusty alongside co-star Will Ferrell's uber-sensitive Brad for Daddy's Home 2, the sequel to the smash 2015 comedy about two dads forced to get along for the sake of their blended family.

This time around, though, the guys are met with a totally new challenge, as their mirror-image fathers, Kurt (Mel Gibson) and Don (John Lithgow), show up to celebrate Christmas as one big, happy, slightly dysfunctional family.

TheFIX caught up with Wahlberg and Ferrell in Los Angeles to find out how Brad and Dusty's relationship has evolved.

Image: Paramount Pictures

"[Dusty and Brad] are on the same page, they're partners. Even though they still have a lot of issues, they put them aside for the sake of the kids," Wahlberg said of Dusty, the ex of Brad's wife Sara (Linda Cardellini), with whom he shares two kids.

Adds Ferrell: "We find out later that they've been suppressing a lot of stuff."

Image: Paramount Pictures

And who better than to agitate that "stuff" than Alpha dad Kurt, whose strained relationship with Dusty dates back for decades.

"Once my dad comes, he starts calling BS on all that stuff," said Wahlberg.

"Which is the beauty of Kurt," Ferell added. "He's so abrupt, and calls things out that we all feel is kind of harsh at first but then it's like, 'Oh, no. He does speak the truth.'"

As for Don and Brad, Ferrell continued: "They seem on the outside to have the perfect father-son relationship. They've very open with their feelings. It really examines what is true masculinity. Is it being open with your feelings? Is it being able to be kind of tough and assertive? That's what I think we're analysing in the movie, in a way."

Image: Paramount Pictures

And just like it's predecessor, Daddy's Home 2 makes plenty of room for wince-inducing mayhem at the expense of poor Brad.

"From a physical standpoint, the thing that made us laugh the hardest is we have this huge nativity scene where we're all dressed as the Wiseman. And it breaks up into this fight that goes from what's going to be a physical fight to a snowball fight. But Brad's such a wuss, and we do a 'pump fake' for like a minute," Ferrell said while demonstrating with his bare hand as Wahlberg returned an unflinching stare.

"He's unbreakable," mused Ferrell.

Daddy's Home 2 hits Australian cinemas November 23.

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